Proportional tool



ET AL 1,705,182

March 12, 1929.

JJTTVEJT] ESE Jab/1.2- fi'arner illll lllllllllllllllllllllll PROPORTYIONAL TOOL Filed Sept; 17, 1925 C. E. GARDNER, SR,

'flm J 8 7 6 9 d 7 6 o 4 3 2/ Patented Mar. 12, 1929.

' UNITED STATES CLARENCE EDGARGARDNER, SR., JOHN D.

CHICAGO,

GARDNER, AND ROBERT W. GARDNER, OF

ILLINOIS.

PROPORTIONAL TOOL.

Application filed September This invention relates to a proportional tool and more particularly to a device for dividing various given distances into desired numbers of equal divisions.

When laying bricks in construction work,

it is often necessary to have the brick work terminate at a given height. As it is impractical to split a brick, the brick layer must calculate accurately the number'of courses of brick that are to be layed and then vary the amount of mortar that he uses, to come out right. It is customary for a brick layer to use a rule to determine the height to be filled with brick and then to improvise a measuring and checking instrument by dividing' a rod into a number of equal divisions corresponding to the numberof courses of brick required.

It is an object of this invention to provide a device for quickly and accurately determining the average height which a course of bricks must be in order to come out even at any given height of the construction.

It is further an object of this invention to provide a combination leveling and proportional tool.

It is an important object of this invention to provide a proportional tool wherein a member having a number of divisions thereon may be extended and at the same time retain said divisions in the same relative proportions.

Other and further important objects of this invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the specification and the accompanying drawings.

This invention (in a preferred form) is illustrated in the drawings and hereinafter more fully described.

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a proportional tool embodying the principles of our invention and showing its application.

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line IL-II of Figure 1, with parts in elevation.

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line III-III of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line IV-IV of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view.

As shown on the drawings:

The proportional tool of our invention is especially adapted for use in laying brick and is shown in Figure 1 alongside a brick wall 1 made up of courses of brick 2. Each course 17, 1925. Serial No. 56,788.

2 includes the vertical height of one brick and one-half of the thickness of the mortar 2 on either side of it. My device comprises a straight edge bar 3 formed of wood or metal and having a groove 4 extending parallel to the length thereof and adjacent one of the edges of said bar. Said edge is layed off in suitable units of linear measure, such as inches and feet, as indicated by the lines of marking a and numerals 6. A glass tube 7 is positioned in said groove 4 and extends substantially the length thereof. A spiral spring 8 is housed within said glass tube 7 one end of said spring being secured to an end plate 9 and the other end of said spring being fastened to a cable or chain 10. Said cable 10 is secured to and adapted to be wound upon a drum 11 mounted in the other end of said bar 3. A threaded bolt 12 forms the axis of said drum and extends through plates 13 and 14 secured on the back and front sides, respectively, of bar 3. WVashers 15 are provided between the flanged ends 16 of said drum 1]. and the plates 13 and 14.

The spring 8 ismarked off into equal divisions 17 of suitablesize by markers 18 which may be consecutively numbered as at 18. Said markers18 comprise each a sleeve 19 enclosing the spring 8 and secured to'one winding thereof and. a pointer 20 fastened on the outside of said sleeve intermediate its ends. Said pointer 20 may suitably be a narrow band or ring encircling the sleeve 19 and soldered or otherwise secured to said sleeve in such position that the distances between successive pointers will be exactly equal. The spring 8 may accordingly be stretched by turning or revolving the drum 11 by means of its handle or knob 21. When a desired stretch is obtained, the drum 11 is held against rotation by tightening a nut 22 on the projecting end of the bolt 12.

It is obvious that when the spring 8 is stretched or allowed to contract that the divisions 17 will still remain equal, since the stretch or contraction of the spring is uniform throughout its length.

The bar 3 also serves as a level and for this purpose is provided with a plurality of horizontal bubble level indicators 23 and a vertical level indicator 24 of the usual type. The bar may thus be used either as a level for horizontal or a plumb for vertical surfaces.

We have found that our device is of great practical assistance in the art of brick laying.

In buildingconstruction it is often necessary to determine the number of courses of brick that will be required for a given height of the building. Inthiscase itisonlynecessary tolay a few courses of brick and then place my proportional tool in vertical position against the surface of the Wall. stretched or contractedsothat. a marker 20 lies opposite the top of each course of brick, as

will be the case if the courses are allot. equalv heightL. It isia simple matter then to coinpute fromthe numberof courses to aunit of.

length the-number of courses vthat Will be requirechfor the given height The brick layer willialso be able to checkup on the subsequent courses of'brick laid to see that he is getting aiplumb line. Anothercase in Which ourproportional' tool is of practical importance is Where the brick layer must figure how many courses to lay up to an openiiigthe structure. 110 dothis, he merely measures on the linear scale 5 the distance to the edge of said opening and then adJust'S the sprlng 8 so as to bring a marker 20'opposite the height, as indicated on the scale 5, making sure to adyust the distance bGtWGGILtllG- markers 20 as nearly equal as possible to the average heightof a course 01" bricks. He then sets-the Spring 8 to this position by tightening, up the nut- 22 to prevent rotation of" the dinnrlll He then lays his bricks inaccordance With the distances spaced ofiibythe markers 20 on the springiSJ Itlis of'course apparent thata proportional tool embodying, the principles of this invention may beefl'ectively used'in the laying out of' proportionaldivisions in various kinds of Work as enlargingdrawings and the like.

e are aware that many changes may be made, and'numerous details of construction may be variedthrough a Wide range Without The spring-""8 is then departing from the principles-oh thisinvention, and'we therefore do not purpose limiting the patent granted hereon, otherwise than necessitated by the prior. art;

Vie claim as our invention:

1. A proportional tool comprising a straiglit'edged bar having a groove extending the. length thereof adjacent to and spaced from said straight edge, there being a linear scale laid oii. onsaid edge, a spiral spring Within said groove, equally spaced pointers on said spring and'supported solely thereby out o'f'contact With the bar and means for stretching:saidspring.

2. In a proportional'tool', a helical uniform- 1y elongatable spring, spaced cylindrical sleeves enclosing portions of said spring and eachsleeve securedtoasingle convolution of the spring, and'aseries of pointers in equally spacedrelation along the spring, each pointer beingrarriedby one of said sleeves.

scale laid offthereon, said'bar having a groove parallelingand.spaced-from the saidstraight' edge, a uniformly elongatable member disposed'in protectedrelation along andwithin said groove, pointers carried by the said member and? operating therewith Wholly Within the groove, and: means for elongating the said member.

4t. Kpro-portional tool comprisinga straight edged bar having a groove parallelingsaid straight edge, a uniformly eiongatable member disposedand operatingin protected relatlon along and within-sald groove, means for e. A proportional tool comprising a bar having a st"aight edge provided With a lineal, 

